Headlamp reflector



Jan.' 5,1926.l

ame/nim:

Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

UNITED FRANK L. BURKE', OE CONNERSVILL'E, INDIANA,'ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT-AND MESNE isaiasi PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNMENTS, or 'ONE-HALE To INDIANA LAMP CORPORATION, or CONNERS- VILLE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE, AND ONE-HALE To GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION, OE DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ACORPORATION or DELAWARE.

HEADLAMP 'REELECTOR Application filed February 16, 1924. Serial No. 693,309.

T 0 all fio/1.0722. 'it may concer-n.'

Be it known that l, FRANK. L. BURKE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Connersville, County ot Fayette, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Headlamp Retlectors, of which the. following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, suc-h -as will enable others skilled inthe art to which the invention relatesy to maire and use the same, reference being 4made therein to the accompanyingl drawings, which form a part of this specification. v

This invention relates-'to refiectors, and is illust-rated as embodied in a reflector for an automobile headlamp.

An object of the invention is to provide a single reflector for a plurality of electric bulbs or Ot-her sources of light, which will efliciently reflect the light of each sourcey in a manner which permits control of the light to Secure adequate road illumination, while at the same time diffusing the light rays in such a way as to avoid glare.

In one desirable arrangement, intended for use4 with driver-controlled bright and dim bulbs, to permit dimming of the headlights at will, the reflector has different Sections especially designed for controlling the rays of the corresponding lights, to give Carefully controlled and adequate illumination, the Section corresponding to the idle light being out of focus with respect to the light which is on at any time, `and therefore reflecting its rays in aV softly diltused manner.

Preferably,the reflector is divided into a series of vertical zones, each having its horizontal elements substantially straight to give a very narrow beam of rays which are slightly divergent, and which can therefore be accurately controlled by the position of a. perpendicular to such elements, as compared to the center line of the reflector. The vertical center line of each vertical zone is in upper and lower Sections, the upper section being part of a parabola, or other conic section approximating a parabola, with its focus at the center ofthe filament of the upper bulb, and the lower section being a similar part of a conic Section with its focus at the center of the filament of the lower bulb.

The above and other objects and features I of the invention will be apparent from the following description. of one illustrative embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, in w'hichfi Fig. 1 isa front elevation oi a reflector; and l Fig. 2 is avertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, for purposes of illustration,the reflector is shown as of metalhav ing a bezel 10 and a reflector portion proper l2. Sockets 14 and 16, vertically spaced` stantially straight lines, to give the desired controlleddiflusion of the light rays. If desired, these elements might be curved, as, for example, as short sections of parabolas, the essential point for the purpose being that there shall be a distinct angle between adjacent zones, so that the direction and diffusion of light reflected by the Several zones may be independently controlled.

The center line of each zone 18 may be regarded ascoinprising two sections, one above and one belowthe plane AA.' The upper section of this center line is shown as being a parabola with its focus at the filament of the upper light,-that is to say, the parabola and opening 14 are coaxial, so that the vertex of the parabola comes at the center of the opening. Similarly, the lower section is a parabola with its focus at the filament of the lower light, coaxial with opening 16, and with its vertex at the center of the opening. The two parabolas intersect in the plane A-A, the upper one extending below its vertex and the lower one extending above its vertex.

While one illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it is not my intention to limit its scope to that embodiment, or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A headlamp reflector having two vertically-spaced foci substantially in its central plane, and formed with two openings for bright and dim electric bulbs with their filaments respectively at the different foci, each opening being directly behind and in an axis passing through the corresponding focus, the internal surface of the reflector being formed in a series ot vertical Zones having straight elements in horizontal planes and being curved in vertical section in such a manner that the center line of the upper half of each Zone is a section of a parabola described about the upper 'focus and with its vertex in the upper axis and extending below the said vertex, and the center line of the lower half of each Zone is a section of a parabola described about the lower focus and with its vertex in the lower axis and extending above the said vertex, the junction of the upper and lower halves of each zone being in a horizontal plane substantially midway between the two axes.

2. A headlamp reflector having two vertically-spaced foci substantially in its central plane, and formed with two openings for bright and dim electric bulbs with their filaments respectively at the diiferent foci,

`the internal surface of the reflector being formed in a series of vertical Zones forming distinct horizontal angles with each other and being curved in vertical section in such a manner that the center line of each zone is in its upper portion a conic section described about the upper focus and with its vertex in an axis passing through the upper opening and extending below the said vertex, and is in its lower portion a conic sec tion described about the lower focus and with its vertex in a lower axis passing through the lower opening and extending above the said vertex.

3, A headlamp reflector' having two parabolic sections arranged one above the other and meeting` in a horizontal plane beneath the vertex ot' the upper section and above the vertex of the lower section, each section having means for supporting a lamp bulb in the axis of the curve., and each section being formed of a series of narrow flat parallel zones meeting in vertical planes at a distinct angle.

In testimony whereof I ali'ix my signa ture.

FRANK L. BURKE. 

